This YouMoz entry was submitted by one of our community members. The author’s views are entirely his or her own (excluding an unlikely case of hypnosis) and may not reflect the views of Moz.

Changing demographics mean that an entirely different population is taking control of the economy. For instance, all the people who will be 21 in 2020 are already born, and these people have their own unique tastes and expectations. Television, video games, magazines, cell phones, and radio are all on fire. Cyberspace is creating an entirely new entertainment media that is posed to take over the market in the near future. Businesses must revolutionize the way they market their products if they want to keep up with these changes and remain relevant in the future.

I have put together some examples of how your business needs to change to attract this younger clientele. Keep in mind, it is not necessarily your product that makes or breaks your business--sometimes the promotional message you send out is much more important.

The traditional Yellow Pages book is gone--nobody uses it anymore. Instead of paying for advertising in this book, find a more creative way to market your product. Use blogs, industry newsletters, and forums to spread your message and your name. If you want to be more traditional, there is now an online version of Yellow Pages. But being listed on Google Maps can be much more beneficial than any Yellow Pages promotion.

Telemarketing used to be a popular way to produce constant sales. However, this is no longer a valid tool due to the use of cell phones and Do Not Call Lists. Instead, use text messaging technology to send discount codes to customers and encourage them to use these codes on your websites. Papa John’s has been using text messaging technology to let customers know of their new locations and to send promotional codes. It now even lets customers order pizza by texting. All you have to do is sign-up online for the service.

At one point in history business flyers were a staple of American economy, but younger generations do not take them seriously. Instead, set up one day sales and advertise digitally by sending e-mails and posting on forums. One day sales have been known to produce remarkable results; just make sure to spread the word early and continuously.

If you have an innovative new product, instead of going the old fashioned way and trying to promote it to the public at large, target your efforts. Younger generations heavily base their purchasing decisions on what their peers are doing. Consider identifying a number of well-connected people in your target group and giving them your product for free or at a discount. In return, encourage them to recommend this product to their friends and to purchase it on your site. This type of marketing effort was exactly how Airwalk exploded in the mid-1990s and how Hush Puppies became cool again in 2000. Keep in mind that if your product is different than what is already on the market, you need to make an extra effort to get recognized and earn a reputation.

Instead of putting the standard company information on the product label, start being creative. Consider putting your web-address on the label, and encourage consumers to follow up with your company through its site. This way you will gain additional traffic on your website and will also be able to rise in rankings quickly.

Finally, positive word-of-mouth is great no matter what age you live in. Facilitate it by giving your regular customers a small gift or a discount toward their future online purchases. Most large corporations follow this policy by establishing point programs or creating their own credit cards.

Well actually yes the good old days of steel, oil, and business flyers. During World War II leaflets were used by the thousands to disseminate information to the other side. Various other flyers were popular in the post-WWII period. However, you can deem that their popularity is falling based on the fact that the British Government banned them under their anti-litter laws. United States is not far behind in disfavoring the use of flyers (considering the fears over pollution). But using common sense for a second, when is the last time you have seen a flyer and thought to yourself “well this seems great I think I will go to this store from now on.” I bet you most likely just threw the flyer in to the garbage.

To be clear I said that nobody uses the PRINTED Yellow Pages, I did point out that there is an online version. Keep in mind that a number of agencies are clearly stating that the use of printed yellow pages is way down (Yellow Pages Association, Simba).

When it comes to radio all I have to say is Sirius & XM. Sirius' subscriber base increased 38% in 2007. And when it comes to public radio (FM/AM) they are coming out with digital technology that promises to be a boom with consumers.

It seems that you have misunderstood the title of the article. The goal is to give you some strategies that will take you into the future. If you want to remain exactly where you are, then stay there. Don’t get me wrong, that could be a valid business strategy.

I agree with much of what you say here, and most definitely people need to re-think their marketing techniques with an eye towards the future.

However, I have heard that #4 (and even #6) can have a backlash, if people find out that others were promoting your product because they got it for free or at a discount. It's better to have citizen evangelists, as they're called, to spread the word about you at no benefit to themselves.

True citizen evangelists don't promote a product because they got a gift or discount, but because they absolutely love it and can't live without it, right?

Thanks for your contribution. I will add email marketing to your list (email marketing based on permission marketing, not spam). Newsletters and flyers sent to those that asked for it (from your website) is a great way to start a relationship with clients and increase sales.

I wrote about this in a different post, but I've been working on a marketing strategy with Facebook using Tags to market/advertise products.

It's still a "work in progress" but once all is said and done it would look something like:

People having Tags attached to their Facebook page,: showing shoes they like to wear, places they like to eat, beer they drink, clubs they go to, which as mentioned before, is how things these day sell- or are marketed best these days -peerpressure, word of mouth, reading eachothers Facebook page!

This is a good list. Regarding yellow pages (and having some experience in that industry). I would always encourage people to get the free listing that most offer because free is always good. The money would be better spend on PPC as you will get a better handle on your ROI or cost per lead.

Nah, doesn't matter, the machine will be using us by that time (remember the Year of Darkness?) :)

On a serious note, nice write up. What really interests me is how TV will be actually influenced. To me Internet and TV are two completely different things (they are not interchangeable to me, like apples and the oranges). How will they co-exist, what do you think?

Our company has a telemarketing division which is doing better than ever. There are many options open to telemarketers for contacting consumers, not to mention telemarketers are almost completely exempt from DNC lists when they only market B2B

@ Calamier - I agree telemarketing can work for some industries, and even better for those who truly understand it. Some might say it is more effective on a percentage basis than email marketing because you can more accurately track the number of people you make contact with.